POSTERN

El Salvador

Ley Especial para Residentes Rentistas. Residence for people living on foreign income or a pension. The old Rentista law was repealed in 2019; today it is a one-year renewable permit under the migration law, with definitive residence possible after a year.

Free · The law behind every answer · Checked Sep 27, 2026

Ley Especial para Residentes Rentistas

One-year renewable temporary residence, then definitive (permanent) residence after a year.

Who qualifies

Whether you keep your U.S. citizenship depends on the route you take later.

1

It could fit.

Residence for people living on foreign income or a pension. The old Rentista law was repealed in 2019; today it is a one-year renewable permit under the migration law, with definitive residence possible after a year.

Every door that fits your family

Not legal advice.

2

What it takes.

Time
Not precisely published.
Cost
Not precisely published; general residency processing fees apply.
The hard part
The current income floor is not published in an easily located primary source; confirm directly with the immigration authority.
3

Citizens by 2033.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

  1. 2027
    First residence permit

    1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.

  2. 2028
    Permanent residence

    Definitive residence after three years of temporary residence. Spaniards and Spanish-speaking Americans qualify after one year, and so do rentiers and pensioners. Central Americans can get it directly. The card is renewed for one to four years at a time.

  3. 2032
    Apply for citizenship
  4. 2033
    Citizenship
Time away
Temporary and definitive residence both count toward the five years, and a definitive-residence card is needed to apply. Temporary residents lose their status after more than six months away in a row, or six months in total in a year. Definitive residents may be away up to two years.
Two passports
It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.
  • One-year renewable permits under the 2019 migration law, with definitive residence possible after one year; the old Rentista law was repealed.
  • The Migration service's FAQ gives temporary residents a stricter absence limit (three months in a row or four in total) than the 2019 law's six months; the stricter figure may be what officers apply.
  • Dual citizenship: applicants must bring a consulate certificate showing that their home country allows dual nationality, so it depends on the home country.
  • No language or civics exam appears in the law; the interview and practice were not checked.
  • No official decision time found.
  • How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.
  • Whether you can keep your current citizenship depends on the rules at the time and your home country.
The law behind these dates
4

Living there.

Time you must spend there
Not precisely published; confirm with the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería what minimum presence, if any, is needed to keep the residence active.
Tax
Qualifying foreign income can be certified as non-taxable in El Salvador.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

5

Start today.

  1. Request the Ministerio de Hacienda resolution qualifying foreign income as non-taxable, then file for residency.Open migracion.gob.sv ↗
  2. Round up the papers.
    • Proof of how you will support yourselves
    • Request your FBI Identity History Summary
    • Health cover for the move
6

Or let us run it.

$900for your first year as a founding member. Then $399 a year, automatically.Standard first year: $1,200. Everyone renews at $399.One membership, the whole family. Accounts and activation included.

18 steps, from the first paper to the passport. You do 4 of them: send what we ask for, sign, and show up. We run the rest, and keep every permit renewed on time. Accounts and activation are included, whether you move now or keep the plan ready. Accounts depend on provider availability. Government, record and approved third-party charges are extra.

Run it for my family →
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ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

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